First look: Mustang Alley's

New sports bar bowls us over

By Kelly Christ

Metromix Staff
August 24, 2007

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Maybe you like running into Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski when you're knockin' 'em down, but if you prefer things a little less gritty—yes, even Baltimore can highbrow it every now and then—you're sure to score at Mustang Alley's. Charm City's duckpin heritage inspired the Koch family to put a B-more spin on its developing family business by offering four duck-pin lanes in addition to the alley's eight 10-pin lanes. This place is brand new—finally, clean bowling shoes!—and it'll take a while to work out the kinks, but once it does Mustang Alley's is bound to be the new local kingpin.

Food: Three words: Hot. Dog. Heaven. Order the triple dog sampler, featuring an all-American dog with sweet relish, an all beef dog topped with sauerkraut and—Metromix's favorite—the battered, quick-fried corn dog on a stick. You'll dream about these dogs. The rest of the menu—from the duck pin nachos to the Baltimore blue burger—gets high scores, too. Mustang Alley's has it all, from pizza to fried pickles to ale-battered fish and chips. Order the lobster mac-n-cheese; it's on the pricey side, but there won't be any left to spare.

Booze: Yes, they still serve Natty Boh. It wouldn't be "boh-ling" without it, hon. But Mustang Alley's also offers specialty drinks in the $8 range, like the standard orange crush and, if you're brave enough, the Bowling Mama; featuring Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, dark rum, coconut rum and lemon and pineapple juices shaken and served on the rocks. OK, so you're a purist and you prefer a brewski when you bowl. There's enough of that behind the bar, with drafts ranging from Miller Lite to BaltoMarzHon. And don't worry, Mustang Alley's makes a pretty mean white Russian, too.

Digs: The warehouse on the corner of Bank and Central was once a hospital for confederate Civil War prisoners, though more widely recognized as the Tack Factory. Now, its second floor is home to the sports bar and bistro that seats 75, has a 28-foot bar and services 12 bowling lanes. Lane rental runs $35 an hour throughout the week and $55 an hour Thursday through Sunday. The automated scorekeeper tracks the speed of your balls as they roll down the lanes (lit by black light), and above the pins are mounted monstrous, 135-inch TVs airing the NFL channel and all things sports. Owner Kyle Koch's iPod shuffles a fun mix of tunes at a volume that's not quite rock-n-bowl, but definitely adequate.

Vibe: Don't you just love that sound; the ominous rumbling down the lane, the 10th-frame strike, the pins clamoring on the boards and that first pull into the gutter? No matter what your approach, this place is fun across the board. If you could just inch the building over a block or two, Mustang Alley's would be in Little Italy. But it's not. Oh well, sometimes life throws you a seven-10 split. Aside from its semi-shady locale, frame-by-frame it's all spares and strikes for Mustang Alley's.